Milloy

More Than a Machine [reissue] (2007)

Ben_Conoley

Where did this band come from? Milloy have been one of my favorite bands for quite some time -- I just didn't know it until now. Together since 1999, the British quintet has been releasing the best post-Leatherface punk rock that England has produced since, well, Leatherface.

By outlasting their cross-continental peers in Hot Water Music and Small Brown Bike, Milloy have become the best No Idea Records band that isn't on No Idea. There have been few albums released this year that have compiled everything that gets me excited about music and onto one album.

More Than a Machine is a re-release of the band's 2005 debut full-length and comes complete with a remastering job, new artwork and bonus tracks. Despite being remastered, the album still carries enough of a gritty feel to appeal to any fan of the genre. Despite only having this one full-length as well as two EPs to their name, Milloy sounds like a band that's been around long enough to have taken in the influence of cheap beer and weeks spent in a van, making a weathered and worn feel at the base of all their songs.

Each of the 12 songs on More Than a Machine are gritty and up-tempo, best played at a high volume. The band comes across especially strong in songs such as "Damaged Goods" and the bonus track "Le Coup De Grace," which shows that the band's new material is even better than the songs that originally appeared on the album. However, songs such as "Evil Knieval" and "Dibs" ensure that the originals don't go left unnoticed.

Milloy, along with their contemporaries such as You Me and the Atom Bomb, Gaslight Anthem and Banner Pilot are collectively ensuring that modern punk rock doesn't have to be glossy and polished. Thank God someone is doing it.